Slippery Slope...

[Pinto]

I've just bought one of these (may have another too at that price for an HLT)...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/220950998021? ... 1439.l2649

The transition to the dark side has begun Im already eyeing up coolboxes to make a mash tun and I have the materials for a counterflow chiller in the shed to be assembled.....

Stated capacity is 19l - will this be safe to run a 15l brew length ?

[prolix]

15 litre length will need about 23l liquor depending on dead space, boil volume will be 10-15% above final so about 17L boiling will need head space to prevent boil overs about a 1/4 extra so about 21-22l pot to boil to 15L.

unless you boil strong and liquor back in which case it does not matter

so if you want 15l of 1040 brew to get 12l of 1043 and liquor back to 15L in the fermenter.

[Pinto]

Thanks

I was thinking about boiling a concentrate and liquoring back as it seemed to suit the smaller pot better. FIrst few brew days will probably be Extract or BIAB, moving to AG based on success - and by then i'll have probably bit the bullet and bought a 50l pot

[darkonnis]

I started down this path a while a go... it always starts with a pot..... then came 2 boilers..... next a mash tun... my conversion is almost complete :O brewing concentrate and watering back would definitely be the best bet i would think. If you wanted a bigger boiler/hlt and dont mind it being plastic http://www.dvfuels.co.uk/category.asp?catID=4 might be worth a look. certainly cheaper and would allow you to actually brew without having to "top up". Just a thought especially if your just starting the process. Wish i'd seen these before i started buying stuff myself is all.

[Pinto]

I have 2 of those DV fuels 60l drums in the shed. 1 for a RIS fermenter and the other one bought with making a 60l boiler in mind as you say However, due to space considerations, plans at the moment are for a play room / brewery in a lock up garage, which is some distance away from my home address - hence im heading in the gas powered direction as I'd need a loooooong extension lead

At the moment, Im leaning towards smaller brews anyway until I've come up with a number of brew recipies that I like - then i'll look at longer brew lengths

[darkonnis]

Ah i see, see im going the other way and modding my house to fit my new hobby. My plan is to make a series of clones inbetween biabs, that way i can experiment plenty and still have a load of ready drinkable beer for when i need it

[Pinto]

Finally picked up the new pot and some grain bags I ordered today from the brother's workshop

Think i'll be heading to the LHBS this weekend to have a nose around the grains and hops in stock and pick up a few tins of LME (or DME, not sure yet) What to brew tho...what to brew... Anyone reccomend a nice, simple ale recipie to try first off ?

Incidentally, the "grain bags" seem to be cotton stockinette roll thats been bunched and sewn closed - why didnt I think of that ??? I think i might have a go at making some bigger ones myself

[sbond10]

So my understanding if I want to make a standard size brew (5 gallon ). I buy one of those 60 litre jobs of dv fuels add an element and a tap will this work ?

[darkonnis]

Would certainly work yes, plenty of people have done it. Others have used FV (youngs ones i think). Obviously its plastic so some bracing and insulation might be required but cheaper overall as long as you respect the fact it isnt as sturdy as a steel pot.

[sbond10]

Thanks found an articale written on the instructables with the help of this forum. I didn't know if a fermentation bin would be strong enough. I personally thought I'd get a huge mess

[darkonnis]

it has been done, though i wouldnt personally. but then, if you insulate it properly and use like a boiler jacket belt round the bottom, above the tap and maybe higher up i dont see why it wouldnt be as strong as anything else thats going. That said, you could just buy a metal boiler by the time you've done all that. A buffallo is likely the best way to go

[Barticus]

I've just bought one of these (may have another too at that price for an HLT)...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/220950998021? ... 1439.l2649

The transition to the dark side has begun Im already eyeing up coolboxes to make a mash tun and I have the materials for a counterflow chiller in the shed to be assembled.....

Stated capacity is 19l - will this be safe to run a 15l brew length ?

Have you started this yet Pinto and how did it go?

[Pinto]

So far, it hasnt

Just been too busy of late (holding down an 6 till 6 daytime job and another 4 hours private per night for the last 10 days) but I hope to be in a position to have a play in a few weeks

Im also seeing about getting some bigger vessels and going AG at some point soon - good thing about lots of working hours is the spare cash one has floating around after....

[Barticus]

Bloody life gets in the way of everything

Having watched a few videos today I can't quite get my head around why someone would do extract rather than BIAB. ( I appreciate Im missing something)

Good luck with it.

[Pinto]

Killer with extract brewing is the exorbitant price of said extract The beer made by that method would need to be something special given the malt price pushes the price of an EB to more than the price of a premium 2 can kit.

BIAB does seem like a good halfway house tho